It is January and I’m fairly certain I am the only one of my friends not on a Whole30, keto, caveman or otherwise restrictive diet. Partially because I beleive in good old fashioned food portions and the food pyramid, but I am also pregnant. AND HUNGRY. I ate two Lean Cuisines for lunch today… but that is a story for another time.

Tater tot casseroles are always popular (if you aren’t on a diet) and this time I am taking them out of the breakfast category and putting them in the dinner/snack/party category. Although I wouldn’t judge you if you did eat this Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole for breakfast.

This dish has four main elements: tater tots, sloppy Joe mix, cream cheese and cheddar cheese. What can go wrong here? Nothing… clearly. You can even add crispy, crunchy bacon to the top if it pleases you.

You know I am a nut for making things from scratch (read… butter and mayonnaise) but tater tots are one of the few things I prefer to buy frozen. Homemade tots take so much time and there are so many quality frozen versions on the market.

But the sloppy Joe mix, that I will beg you to make from scratch and not skimp on the can. This is for several reason. The first being that my homemade sloppy Joes are made with beef and ground sausage, adding more flavor and texture.

The second is that even when making them at home they have sugar and salt, it is way less than if you were to buy it in a can. Lastly, (I know I said there were only two reasons…) it is down right easy and fast.

You can make your Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole in two ways. Using the a 9×9 square dish and using a double layer of tots or a 9×13 dish using a single layer of tots.

Both are delicious, it depends on your prefered dish and how many folks you are serving. I would recommend the 9×13 for larger parties, while the 9×9 will do fine for a family of four.

Next, I use about 1 1/2 cups of sloppy Joe mix. This can be leftover from sloppy Joe’s another time or made from scratch for this purpose, up to you. After that, dollops of cream cheese and then a sprinkling of cheddar.

I skimp out here with only 1/4 of a cup, but you can totally cheese it up if you want. You can even use a cheese blend like pepper jack, colby or Swiss.

After your Sloppy Joe Tater Tot Casserole is built, feel free to freeze it or put it in the fridge for up to 1 day before the final baking step. This makes it perfect for parties, BBQs and potlucks.